


All Clear

by blue_wind_gets_so_sad



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Fear of Heights, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Multi, Swearing, Threegulls, depends on how you interpret it, duke is an absolute child when it comes to amusement parks, duke is being nice to nathan so interpret that however you wish, i'm both duke and audrey, kind of, my boyfriend is nathan, there are some gestures and actions that could be seen as platonic or romantic, they refer to each other as friends but there may or may not be deeper feelings, this is based off of personal experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 07:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15043625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wind_gets_so_sad/pseuds/blue_wind_gets_so_sad
Summary: She knew he couldn’t feel the wind on his face, the metal of the handlebars, or the racing of his heart. However, she knew something wasn’t right when she saw the redness of his cheeks, the tightness of his grip, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Nathan Wuornos, as fearless as he tried to seem, was, to put it simply, freaking the fuck out.





	All Clear

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings: Swearing, fear of heights

                Audrey had won tickets to a nearby amusement park and invited Duke and Nathan to come along. She had never been to an amusement park, but damn was she ready. She might have had vague memories of amusement parks, but Audrey Parker had never been to one.

                Duke, of course, was ecstatic. He had longed for the thrill of a large rollercoaster for years and he would finally get it. He loved it. He loved the feeling of the wind in his hair and the feeling of possible danger when he was flipped upside down. Although he loved the thrill, his favorite ride had to be anything that brought him up high and let him stay there. Whether it be a Ferris wheel, the Swings, or some other ride, he loved being in the air. He enjoyed looking out over the entire park and he relished in the ability to close his eyes and imagine that he was flying.

                Nathan wasn’t as excited. He wasn’t exactly bothered by the idea of a day off with them, but he didn’t like the idea of where they were going. He had never been particularly fond of amusement parks, especially when there were large rides. He had a fear of heights. There wasn’t a cause that he knew of. No bad experience on an airplane, no falling off of a high platform. He was just scared of heights. If he really had to go somewhere up high (to save someone, for example), he wouldn’t hesitate. But, he wouldn’t _willingly_ face his fear…except for when his friends would be around him.

                The entire ride there consisted of nothing but the boys admiring Audrey as she sang along to the radio, the two up front laughing and getting slightly annoyed as Duke moved left to right in the back, looking for the park through the windows and constantly asking how close they were to their destination, and Audrey getting increasingly getting worried about the fidgeting Nathan beside her.

                “Guys, guys, _guys!_ We’re here!” Duke exclaimed as they pulled into a parking spot.

                “You say that as if we don’t know what this parking lot belongs to,” Nathan replied, repressing a smile.

                “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited, Duke,” Audrey commented, not hiding her smile.

                “What’s not to be excited about? It’s an _amusement park_!”

                “I can think of a few things…” Nathan trailed off, deciding not to say any more about it.

                “You alright, Nathan?” Audrey questioned.

                “Yeah, let’s just…let’s just go in.”

                Duke beat them both up there and was already headed for a ride when they were presenting their tickets to the lady working the entrance. The first ride they went on was okay. It was a more family-friendly ride than a thrill ride or a kid’s ride, but it was still pretty fun. The seats looked like hang gliders and they had to push the metal bar in front of them in order to go into the air. However, only two people could fit, so Duke rode by himself while Audrey and Nathan rode together.

                The second ride was a smaller roller coaster. They all could fit in one cart, and it was like Teacups compared to the bigger roller coaster, but Nathan didn’t seem too happy. Duke didn’t seem to notice, but Audrey took note of Nathan keeping his eyes squeezed shut and his fists clenched around the metal bar. (She knew he couldn’t feel it, but she assumed that it was just instinct.) There was a somewhat tall incline, but it didn’t go straight down. It gradually went back to the ground, throwing them around through sudden turns and short drops. Halfway through the track, the cart began to spin. Duke was laughing his ass off, Audrey was screaming, and Nathan was…quiet. Soon enough, the ride ended.

                The third ride is where it went wrong. Audrey noticed Nathan’s jaw clenched as he watched the path of the ride. It was almost like a Ferris wheel, except it was faster and you went upside down. Audrey stood up on her tiptoes and leaned closer to Nathan. “Nathan, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

                “No, I-I want to.” He swallowed.

                “Promise?”

                “…Promise.”

                It was their turn in no time. They were the only ones in line, so they were the only ones on it. (They went during the week, so it wasn’t very busy.) Only one person could fit in each seat, so they all sat close together. Audrey was in front, Nathan was in the middle, and Duke was in the back. The ride started off slowly, but it gradually gained speed and they started to be thrown upside down. This time, both Audrey and Duke were laughing, but it eventually died down to only Duke as Audrey began to notice some sounds that were out of place. Whimpers. She managed to crane her neck around just enough to see Nathan. She knew he couldn’t feel the wind on his face, the metal of the handlebars, or the racing of his heart. However, she knew something wasn’t right when she saw the redness of his cheeks, the tightness of his grip, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Nathan Wuornos, as fearless as he tried to seem, was, to put it simply, freaking the fuck out. She moved back into her seat.

                “Nathan, are you alright?”

                No response.

                “Nathan?”

                “Au-Audrey!”

                “Nathan, it’s alright. The ride’s almost over, I promise.”

                More whimpers. The sound of the ride slowing down.

                “We’re going back down, Nathan. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

                As soon as she was out of her seat, Audrey moved quickly to get Nathan out of there and somewhere steady to sit down. She sat him down on the nearest bench and sat beside him, holding his hands. “Nathan, it’s Audrey, alright? We’re on the ground. You’re okay, I’m okay, Duke’s okay. We’re all safe. All three of us. I need you to breathe with me. Can you do that for me?” Nathan nodded frantically. “Okay. In….out. In….out. In….out. There we go. That’s it. Just keep breathing for me.”

                “Holy shit, that was awesome! We _have_ to do that one again before we leave. Did you guys-” Duke froze when Audrey shook her head at him and gestured to Nathan. Duke immediately frowned. He cautiously kneeled in front of Nathan and looked up at him. “You alright, Nate?”

                Nathan seemed to have his breathing back under control. “Yeah, I just…have this thing…”

                “Heights?” Duke questioned. Nathan nodded.

                “Nathan, you didn’t have to do that if you didn’t want to.” The concern was obvious in Audrey’s voice.

                “I honestly did want to do it. I just have to warm up to it. That’s all.” Duke and Audrey exchanged a look, then Duke placed a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. He couldn’t feel Duke, but the contact still meant something.

                “We don’t have to do anything else. We can just walk around. There’s plenty of shops around here we can explore. It isn’t _just_ an amusement park.” Duke sounded sincere. Nathan was honestly surprised that Duke had been the one to say that since he had been so excited to go.

                “No, no. I _want_ to do more. I _want_ to ride the big one. I just need to work my way up.” Duke and Audrey nodded in agreement, then stayed silent for a few moments.

                “Want to try the Swings? Not the big ones. Plus, some of the seats fit two people so one of us can sit with you.” Duke suggested. Nathan thought for a few moments, then nodded his head. When they got over to the swings, they were the only ones in line again, so they were let on immediately. Since Audrey rode with Nathan last, it was Duke’s turn. The men squeezed into the two-person seat and Audrey sat behind them in a one-person seat. Nathan was fine at first, but then they started to rise into the air. Duke watched as Nathan tightened his grip on the silver bar and squeezed his eyes shut. “Nate, hey. It’s okay. You’re alright. You’re safe.”

                “You keep saying that,” Nathan replied, referring to both Duke and Audrey.

                “You are. You are safe. Let’s see….focus on the wind in your- No. Never mind. Can’t do that. Just, uh- Just focus on something.” Nathan instantly whipped his head to the side to face Duke. He didn’t take his eyes off of him the entire ride. After the Swings, they roamed around for a little while and Audrey proposed that they find something to eat, but Duke had other ideas in mind. “Why don’t we go ahead and get the big one over with and then go find some food? We don’t have to, but I don’t think it’s a wise idea to eat and then get on that bad boy.” He was replying to Audrey, but the suggestion was more aimed at Nathan.

                “Duke, I don’t think-” Audrey got cut off by Nathan.

                “No, let’s do it. Let’s do the big one.”

 

***

 

                They were doing it. They were on the big one. The carts were in rows of three and the three friends were on the first row. The only other people on the cart were two small children two rows behind them. Duke had been _dying_ for this moment the entire day. He craved the sudden drops and the corkscrews, but he was honestly about to ask them to let all of them off as soon as Nathan asked, “Do we have to do this?” with the most terrified look on his face. He was too late. Almost as soon as Nathan finished his question, the workers gave the “all clear” and the ride was set into motion. Duke gave Nathan a sympathetic smile and he nearly regretted getting Nathan on the ride…nearly. The cart made a sharp turn to the left and immediately started its completely vertical uphill ascent. Nathan started whimpering again and started grabbing at their arms instead of the handles. The other two tried their best to calm him down, telling him that he’d be okay and that he’s completely safe. Then they reached the top. The very top of the hill was only large enough for that one cart to rest and since they were at the very front, they could see _everything_. They dropped.

                Nathan _screamed_. Simultaneously, Audrey and Duke looked at the man in between them to make sure he was okay; they were both shocked to see a huge smile on his face. All worry seeped out of them and they returned to enjoying the ride, screaming and laughing throughout the entire thing. The ride was so fast that it was over in no time.

 

***

 

                “So, Nate, did you enjoy your ride?” Duke chuckled as he attempted to fix his hair while they walked down the ramp away from the ride.

                Nathan was wide-eyed and panting, but he was still smiling. “I want…to do…that again.”

**Author's Note:**

> These are the rides mentioned in the story: (I would've provided actual links but I tried and it wouldn't work.)
> 
> First Ride: Couldn't find the video.
> 
> Second Ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1NeI1dZcpM
> 
> Third Ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JblGWcHDiZU
> 
> Swings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzG0B_AqZ0
> 
> Big Swings (Mentioned): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5u-tedn0eY
> 
> Big Roller Coaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfHiIN7fJzc


End file.
